Kintz and h



G. W. & H. E. KINTZ.

(No Model.)

POTATO BIGGER.

Patented May 12, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. KINTZ AND H. ELMORE KINTZ, OF WVEST HENRIETTA, N. Y.

DIGGER.

SPECIPKGATIQN forming part of LettersIEatent No. 317,546, dated May 12, 1885.

Application filed April 18, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. KINTZ and H. ELMoRE KINTZ, both of West Henrietta, in the county of Monroe'and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of our invention is to produce a machine for digging potatoes to be drawn by horses, which shall be of light draft, and cheaply constructed; and it consists of parts and devices hereinafter fully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a left side elevation of the machine, showing some of the parts as occupying two positions; Fig. 2, a plan of the same, viewed as indicated by arrow 00 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a modification in the manner of driving the shaker, the view being taken from the opposite direction from that in which Fig. 1 is viewed, partsbeing broken away and many parts omitted; Fig. 4, a detached drawing serving to illustrate more fully the operation of the shaker; and Fig. 5 a detached figure serving to show the auxiliary landside of the machine.

Referring to the parts, A is a strong beam or frame of the machine, which is similar to the beam of a plow bent downward at its rear end, provided with a clevis, B, to hitch to, handles 0, and forward carrying-wheel D to roll on the ground.

F is a blade reaching out obliquely from the right side of the beam at the foot thereof, which is designed to cut below the tubers and lift them out of the ground, rigid elevatingfingers a a being attached to the rear edge of the blade to assist in the operation. This blade is not curved like the mold-board of a plow, but is a fiat sheet of steel having its cuttingedge inclined downward, and, with the elevating-fingers a, which reach upward and back ward, servesto break up the ground and cause the potatoes to move. upward toward the surface as the machine advances.

A shaker, G, consisting of a head-bar, b, and fingers 0, reaching out from the head-bar, serves to further separate the potatoes from the earth after the same pass over the fingers a. The head-bar is bent at its outer end and pivoted at the point It to the rear under side of the blade, and at the opposite end secured to a lever, p,"which is also pivoted to the under rear side of the blade at its inner end at s, which pivot-point is in a line with the point h aforesaid. These two pivotal points, h and 8, act as centers or bearings, upon which the shaker may be tilted to crumble and divide the earth. Thus hung, the forward portion of the shaker is below or under the rigid fingers a of the blade, and masses of earth passing unbroken over the ends of said fingers fall on the rapidly-tilting shaker, where they are broken and separated from the tubers and vines, all of which pass together over the shaker.

The shaker is rapidly tilted or vibrated upward and downward by the following means: Attached to the wheel D is a sprocket-wheel, d, from which a chain, 6, runs to a smaller sprocket, t, turning on a horizontal stud, n, projecting from the side of the beam. A bevel-gear, f, secured to the sprocket 73, turns, by means of a pinion, g, a horizontal shaft, h, resting in hangers k is projecting from .the beam. At its rear end the shaft his provided with a crank, Z, from which a connecting-rod, 0, reaches to an arm, p, of the shaker, from which combination of parts the shaker is operated asthe machine advances. This shaker may be operated by employing a groundwheel, H, Fig. 3, supported at the rear of the beam by an arm, I, said wheel having a gear, K, from which, by means o intermediate gearing of simple and common form, the crank it, corresponding to the crank Z in Fig. 1, may be revolved, and so by means of the connectingrod 1' operate the shaker. The landside u is not rigid with the beam, but vertically adj ustable thereon. It is pivoted to the beam at s, and supported by avertically-adj ust-ing screw, 22, which passes through lugs a a at the side of the beam. A nut, c, for the screw is inserted between the lugs, and when turned one way or the other the landside will be vertically adjusted, as indicated.

An auxiliary landside, z, is pivoted to the main landside a at a, and providedwith a slot, 6, in which a bolt, n, is inserted, said ICO bolt passing into or through the landside u, where it is made secure. By means of the slot and bolt the auxiliary piece 2 of the landside may be lowered to cut into the earth below the landside u, and they thus together present a broader surface to the ground to prevent side sliding of the machine from the obliquity, of the cut.

K is a lifter'for the vines of the potatoes, consisting of a bar, f, of iron, bent at 0 to the form substantially of a letter V, and attached to the beam by a bolt passing through the extremity of one of its branches, thus hanging so as to have its lower or free end, 1', pass along the ground just at the left and under the vines of the row of hills of potatoes being operated upon. The vine-lifter is held down to its place by gravity, and rests in a holder, b, pending from the beam. A tierod, d, supports the lower end of the bar f, and aids in lifting the vines of the potatoes over in position to pass over the blade F on the right side of the beam, the use of the vinelifter being to prevent the machine clogging from the vines encountering the foot of the beam and accumulating thereat. Should the point of vine-lifter at any time encounter too great a resistance it will be forced back, the lifter rising in the same plane with the line of draft, as shown in dotted position until the pressure at the point is relieved, when it will again drop to place.

What we claim as our invention is 1. In combination with a draft-beam and potatodigging blade, a vertically-adjustable landside, an auxiliary landside pivoted thereto, and adjusting devices for said auxiliary landside, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the beam A of a potato-digger, the vine lifter K, consisting of barf and rod d, and pivoted to said beam so that it Will freely turn upward and backward on encountering excessive obstruction, substantially as set forth.

3. A potato-digger having a beam,A, bent downward at its rear end with a blade, F, attached to and extending out at one side thereof, a landside, 20, attached to the foot of the beam on the side opposite the blade, said landside being composed of an adjustable blade, 16, held to the foot of the beam by a pivot-bolt, s, so as to swing in a Vertical plane, with an adjusting-screw, o, to regulate its position on the foot of the beam, and an auxiliary or secondary landside, z, placed edge downward and held to the main adjustable, landside a by a pivot-bolt, a, with means, substantially as shown and described, to vertically adjust the part 2 upon the main part a, for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the beam with the vine-lifter, which is hinged thereto, said vinelifter being triangular in shape and adapted to rise in the plane of the line of draft, so as to pass over obstructions and thus avoid becoming clogged, substantially as described.

G. W. KINTZ. H. E. KINTZ.

\Vitnesses:

E. B. WHITMORE, O. E. ORR. 

